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Chapter 19

Lin Xirou groaned, “That old man said you crashed into a coma—what’s this about syringes, and what’s really going on?”

Yan Tuo replied with an understated tone, deliberately blurring the chronological sequence of events. “It happened before the accident. I was exhausted after a few days of intense activity, driving while tired, and ended up crashing at the bottom of the roadbed. I just decided to sleep there. I guess I slept too deeply, and that’s why I was in a coma. The syringe was something I used to deal with Sun Zhou, the person I mentioned to you who scratched the dog’s teeth—didn’t you say that if a dog tooth hurts someone, even just a scratch, we have to bring it back together?”

Lin Xirou nodded, “Yes, I instructed that. The exact words were that this kind of injury couldn’t be handled by outside doctors, and we have our way of bringing it back. But those people in Banya wouldn’t attack you for no reason—did you do something without realizing it?”

Yan Tuo shook his head. “No, when they tortured me, I vaguely overheard them talking about something… something about the smell in my car.”

As he spoke, Yan Tuo deliberately observed Lin Xirou’s expression, and sure enough, when she heard this, her expression faltered.

Yan Tuo continued, “Aunt Lin, you know my car is always spotless—how could there be any smell? I didn’t notice anything myself.”

Lin Xirou maintained a smile, but there was a slight edge to her voice. “They’re just spouting nonsense, probably because they don’t watch their mouths.”

Yan Tuo pretended to think for a moment. “Not exactly. From what I gathered, not everyone could smell it—only the ‘nose spirit’ they called Big Head.”

Lin Xirou’s hand, hanging at her side, suddenly clenched into a fist. “Nose spirit?”

Realizing her mistake, she quickly changed the subject. “How many of them were there? Do you remember what they looked like?”

“I only saw the ones who attacked me. They didn’t bother hiding since they’d already been photographed. There was Big Head, Shan Qiang, Sister-in-law Hua, a lame old man, and a woman named Quecha, though I doubt that’s her real name. The rest were wrapped up so tightly that I could only tell if they were tall, short, fat, or thin.”

“As for their looks… Aunt Lin, my skills in describing people are pretty average. I could only give you vague details like ‘big eyes, short person,’ which probably won’t help much.”

Lin Xirou’s eyes flickered with disappointment. After a pause, she said, “It’s okay. Later, you can tell Xiong Hei whatever details you remember about their shapes, appearances, and characteristics. Anything you can provide is better than nothing. We’ll see if he can follow up on the rest.”

Yan Tuo nodded. “Aunt Lin, is there something wrong? You seem particularly concerned about this.”

Lin Xirou was momentarily stunned but then laughed. “Nonsense. With you getting hurt like this, how could I not care? We can’t just let it go… Xiao Tuo, you should rest first. Taking care of your health is more important than anything else. If you remember anything else, be sure to tell me.”

She said and stood up. Lin Xirou’s comment about Yan Tuo needing to “rest first” implied that it was time for others to leave. Lin Ling got up, and Xiong Hei opened the door.

Yan Tuo exhaled a long sigh of relief. He then noticed his palms were already damp with sweat from the conversation. He hoped that the “dog” would remain unconscious for as long as possible.

As Lin Xirou was about to head out, she suddenly recalled something and turned to Yan Tuo with a smile. “By the way, you mentioned meeting an old friend and wanting to catch up. That friend is Miss Nie, isn’t she?”

Yan Tuo’s heart sank, but he maintained a composed expression, smiling slightly. “Yes, but she’s not really an old friend. It was more of a chance encounter, just a bit of a connection. You know how it is, Aunt Lin.”

Lin Xirou’s smile grew warmer. “I suspected as much. You young people can be quite playful. You’ve grown up so much, and Miss Nie is still as beautiful as ever.”

Lin Ling glanced at Yan Tuo, then lowered her gaze to his hand.

“Just one thing,” Lin Xirou continued, “why did you leave her on the mountain road?”

Yan Tuo’s tone became bitter. “Some people may look good and seem fine, but it turns out they’re not at all. It’s not worth it. I didn’t have to throw her on the road, but I couldn’t tolerate her attitude, so I left her there. Don’t mention her again, Aunt Lin; it’s disappointing.”

Lin Xirou, surprised by the derogatory remark, paused for a few seconds before chuckling. “That Miss Nie must have been quite something.”

After talking to Jiang Baichuan on the phone, Nie Jiuluo had been nervous and vigilant for days. Yet, more than half a month had passed, with the osmanthus tree’s flowers having gone from blooming to falling, and Sister Lu’s osmanthus sauce being prepared and stored. Everything remained peaceful.

Nie Jiuluo thought, “There are thieves for a thousand years, but not for thousands of years. If Yan Tuo plans to retaliate after a year and a half, she could endure that long.”

With this reassurance, she also took measures for protection, keeping a dagger from a clay statue at hand during the day and under her pillow at night.

The clay sculpture, a graceful depiction of a rebounding pipa, was detailed but not life-sized—about one meter high. The hidden dagger, concealed within the sculpture, used an ancient pin mechanism. According to the special sequence of the pipa’s strings, a hidden box would automatically reveal the dagger.

The dagger itself was small, about 20 centimeters long and less than an inch wide, with no decorative carvings—just a small inscription on the handle with the words “life” and “death.”

On this crisp autumn day, deemed auspicious for new projects, Nie Jiuluo prepared to start her new work. After breakfast and a ritual of burning incense and worshipping Nuwa, the patron of clay sculpture, she began constructing the keel frame for her new piece.

The process was intricate. Clay lacked the viscosity to support its weight, even for miniatures like “Mud Man Zhang.” Large sculptures required creating a wire and nail frame, covering it with straw, chaff, coarse mud, and fine mud, and then decorating and powdering layer by layer to achieve the desired shape.

In a sense, the process resembled the human body: stripping away the layers to reveal the core structure, akin to creating a clay sculpture. This parallel led Nie Jiuluo to approach her work with pious dedication, ensuring every detail was meticulously crafted.

At noon, Sister Lu brought the meal and observed Nie Jiuluo working at her bench with a hammer and nail. She remarked, “If people saw you, they’d think a carpenter lived here.”

Sister Lu’s observation held the truth: many artists, while possessing a unique spirit, often engaged in labor-intensive tasks. Despite Nie Jiuluo’s slender appearance, her strength exceeded that of many others. Sister Lu had often struggled to open cans, but Nie Jiuluo could do so effortlessly.

After a day of intense work, Nie Jiuluo finally managed to complete a satisfactory frame for her sculpture by evening. To Sister Lu, however, the frame seemed unremarkable and even ugly.

Exhausted from the physical labor, Nie Jiuluo turned off the lights and went to bed before eleven o’clock—a departure from her usual habit of sleeping through the night until dawn. Despite her fatigue, she woke up suddenly around two o’clock in the middle of the night.

The room was pitch black, with the semi-sheer curtains on her bed making the night feel even denser. A strange, dangerous smell filled the silence.

Nie Jiuluo quietly sat up, retrieved the dagger from under her pillow, and strapped it to her thigh, concealing it with the skirt of her nightgown before getting out of bed.

She walked barefoot to the door and opened it gently. Beyond the bedroom was the workshop, which looked ominous at night due to the many sculptures scattered around—at night, they appeared as dark, crouching shadows, making it hard to distinguish between figures and objects.

Nie Jiuluo held her breath and took a few steps into the workshop. The lights were on—not the overhead lights, but the dim floor-to-ceiling reading lamp in the corner. The room contained a bookshelf, two single sofas facing each other, and a small coffee table in between. Usually, she would sit here with a pot of tea and read a book.

On one of the sofas near the lamp sat Yan Tuo. He rested both hands on the armrests, holding a gun in his right hand and tapping rhythmically on the armrest, with the gun’s muzzle pointed directly at her.

Nie Jiuluo felt a sense of relief. She stood still and sighed softly, noticing that the skin on her leg where the dagger was strapped felt warm despite the coldness.

Yan Tuo broke the silence first. “Miss Nie, I didn’t expect to meet you again.”

Nie Jiuluo thought, “If Jiang Baichuan hadn’t been so useless, this meeting wouldn’t have happened.”

Yan Tuo gestured to the opposite sofa. “Don’t just stand there. Sit down and let’s talk.”

In the movies, before a confrontation, there’s often a verbal exchange. How one handles this can affect the outcome of the conflict. The one who remains calm and composed tends to have the upper hand.

Nie Jiuluo walked over and sat down on the sofa, noticing a soft “click” beneath her. Her scalp tingled slightly, and she glanced down, noting that this had never happened when she sat on this sofa before.

Yan Tuo continued, “Miss Nie, don’t move when you sit down. It’ll be unsightly if it goes off.”

He reclined on the backrest and added, “I put on new clothes for this meeting. I’d rather not have them ruined by blood and guts.”

The mention of new clothes sent a shiver down Nie Jiuluo’s spine. She sat still, noting that the cushion under her might be rigged with something dangerous. She sighed and adjusted her sitting posture. “So, you dressed up just for this? Then I’m already messed up.”

Yan Tuo’s gaze lingered on Nie Jiuluo. She wore a pearlescent silver nightgown, tied with a sash around her waist. The gown reached her ankles, and when she sat down, only her beautiful, silky calves were visible, adorned with a soft glow.

Yan Tuo’s attention finally focused on her face. “Miss Nie, you’ve really played me.”

Nie Jiuluo smiled. “The term ‘playing’ isn’t quite right. What hunters do when setting traps isn’t called playing. What beast would say the hunter is ‘playing’ with it?”

Yan Tuo seemed to expect her lack of cooperation. “So, Miss Nie, are you prepared to face death?”

Nie Jiuluo replied coolly, “What assurance do I have for my safety? If you don’t talk, I’ll likely be blown to pieces anyway. If I’m going to die, I might as well take you down with me.”

Yan Tuo showed no sympathy. “Miss Nie, you’ve come this far.”

He stood, walked around the coffee table, and headed towards the door. It was now a psychological game; he expected her to attempt to stop him within three steps.

As he passed by her side, Nie Jiuluo spoke up. “Yan Tuo.”

Yan Tuo paused.

Nie Jiuluo continued with a tone of uncertainty, “When I was a child, I watched TV shows where the good people were always killed by the bad guys. It seemed so pointless. If I’m unlucky and really do die, I won’t go quietly. I’ll make sure to drag those who hurt me down with me.”

Before she finished speaking, she gathered her strength, lunged at Yan Tuo, and pushed him back onto the sofa. She had gambled that if there were explosives under the cushion, Yan Tuo would act as a shield—if the bomb was powerful enough to kill them both, she would ensure he went down with her.

After a long pause, there was no explosion.

With the initial confrontation out of the way, the real conflict began.


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An Owl Rising From The Green Soil

An Owl Rising From The Green Soil

Love On The Turquoise Land (Drama)
Score 8.0
Status: Ongoing Type: , Author: , Artist: Released: 2020 Native Language: Chinese
Over two thousand years ago on a deep night, Xu Fu* set sail to the eastern seas in a treasure ship to search for immortality, but few people knew that at the same time, a group of black-turban soldiers secretly entered the vast and dense Nanbao forest… A millennium later, the dark legend continues to slowly grow in the shadows. Xú Fú: Qin dynasty court necromancer and was tasked by Qin Shi Huang to look for the elixir of life between 219 BC and 210 BC. He never returned after departing on his second mission in 210 BC.

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